Means for covering walls



' ably takes the form of Patented July 6, 1948 Louis W. Holmes, Minneapolis, Minn.,

assignor of one-third to Albert M. Johnson and one-third to Anthony A. Rogers,

Minn.

both of Minneapolis,

Application November 2, 1945, Serial No. 626,201 4 Claims. (01. 1089) My invention relates to building constructions and more particularly to Wall coverings. The prime object of the invention is to provide improved means for covering walls, the term walls to be interpreted as including not only outer and inner Walls, but also walls such as roofs and the like.

It has long been a customary practice to cover the walls of buildings with wood shingles and with flexible shingles of various compositions. C'omparatively recently, the building trade has employed wall coverings of non-flexible shingles 'of uniform thickness made of asbestos-cement or the like, such shingles having holes bored or cast therein to receive shingle nails applied in the same manner as in wood shingles, except that the nails in the butt portions of such non-flexible shingles are driven into the wall above the tips of the underlying shingles. A wall covering of this character is objectionable for several reasons. The nails driven through the butt portion of a non-resilient shingle can not be driven solidly home because of the danger of fracturing the shingle. These lower nails, exposed at the heads thereof, often work themselves loose allowing the shingles to rattle and requiring frequent resetting of the nails. Moisture entering through openings in the shingles occupied by such nails in one course of shingles, can find its way behind the shingles of the next lower course with detriment to the wall. structure and the possible leakage thereof.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved method of and means for covering a wall with shingles, whereby the above noted disadvantages in shingled wall structures may be obviated.

An important feature of the invention resides in omitting the lower nails conventionally used in the shingles of a shingled wall construction and, in their stead, employed tie-means for fastening the butt portions of the shingles in one course to the anchored tip portions of the shingles in the previously laid course. Said tie-means preferclips formed from ribbons of metal or other suitable flexible material, each clip embodying an upper member for engagement with the anchored tip portion of one shingle and a lower member for engagement with the butt portion of the shingle overlying said first shingle. The butt portions of the shingles are provided with openings to accommodate the lower shingle engaging members of the tie-clips, it being an important object of the invention to provide tieclips so formedthat said openings in theshingles= of one course will lie below the upper edges of the shingles in the previously laid course,'-thus rendering the shingle covering capable of shedding moisture.

Another object of the invention lies in the employment of shingle-fastening elements which are not required to be driven into the wall and which, for such reason, may be finished with fracturable coatings, as well as other coatings,

to resist corrosion and to match the colors of the exterior faces of the shingles.

Other objects of the invention reside in the novel combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter. illustrated and/or described. J

In the drawings, Fig. 1 isia fragmentary elevational perspective View of a wall covering embodying-my invention; Fig; 2 is a verticalsectional View in detail, taken as on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing the upper clip-supported shingle prior to the tiltingof said shingle to bring its tip portion against the wall; Fig. 4 is an elevational perspective view of a butt portion of one of the shingles, the same illustrating in detail the clip-receiving opening in such portion of such shingle; Fig. 5 is a sectional View taken as on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4, said view showing said opening and also illustrating a tie-clip as applied thereto, and Fig. 6 is a perspective view of one of the tie clips.

Referring to the drawing, it will be understood that the wall A to which the illustrated shinglecovering is applied, consists of suitably supported sheathing lll faced, if desired, with a suitable blanket ll of insulating material. Said covering consists of shingles I2 generally of the same nature as those now conventionally employed and which are made of asbestos cement or the like providing non-flexible slab like structures of uniform thickness. Like the conventional shingle, said shingles 12 are formed with upper holes I3 located at the tip portions thereoftoreceive anchoring nails M which are driven into the wall A in the usual manner.

Departing from conventional form, the shingles l2 are devoid of the lower nail-receivi'ngopenings customarily formed in the butt portions of the ordinary shingle. In place of such'lovver nailreceiving openings, the shingles l2 are provided with relatively large rectangular openings l5 located in relatively nearer proximity to the lower edge of the shingle. Adjacentto the lower por tion of each such opening 15,- at the face of the shingle l2, is acountersink --l 6 for a purpos'e'soon toappear. Dispensing with the" lowernail holes of the ordinary shingle, I also dispense with the lower nails ordinarily inserted therethrough and driven into the wall structure above the upper edge of the underlying shingle. Instead of so using such lower nails to fasten the butt portion of a shingle to a wall, I use tie-clips B, one for each of the shingle-openings l5, employing said tie-clips to fasten the butt portions of the shingles of one course to the anchored tip portions of the shingles in the underlying course. These tie-clips B are made of suitable flexible material, preferably from lengths of metallic ribbons. Each tie-clip B includes a shank l 1 formed with a return bend at its upper end to provide a downwardly opening hook it at the rear of said shank. Each tie-clip B also includes a shoulderforming reach l9 bent forwardly from the lower end of the shank I1 and further includes a depending keeper-fin er 2i! bent down from said reach H.

:Upon applying a given course of shingles to the Wall A, each shingle I2, in its turn, is fitted with tie-clips B, one to each opening l5, each tie-clip B being introduced into its respective opening I5, as shown in solid lines in Fig, 5, and thereafter progressed thereinto to dispose it in ultimate operative position relative to the shingle, as shown in dotted lines in said Fig. 5 In said operation, the keeper-finger 20 of a tie-clip B enters the opening I 5 from the rear of the shingle I 2 and is finally seated in the countersink It with its forward face flush with the front face of the shingle. In this disposition of the keeper-finger 20, the upper face of the shoulder-forming reach l9 abuts against the upper wall of said opening [5. A shingle l2, fitted with tie-clips B, is lifted into place and the hooks N3 of. said tie-clips are'caught over the upper edges of shingles I 2 in the previously applied course. The shingle l2, in the process of being applied to the wall A, is thus suspended thereon at the proper elevation relative to the underlying shingles of the preceding course. Thereupon, nails M are directed into the upper holes 13 in the tip portion of said shingle 1.2. and then driven. home into the wall A. Thus, the'tip portion of said shingle is anchored against the wall, whilethe butt portion thereof is tied to the tip portions of previously nail-anchored shingles in position overlapping their anchoring nails.

The-functioning of the tie-clips-B will be readily comprehended from the drawing which shows clearlythat the hook ill of each clip B snugly embraces the upper marginal portion of an attached shingle and that the keeper-finger Zll'of the clip B catches its respective shingle at the front face thereof and deprives the butt portion of such shingle f-rom any outward movement relative to said attached shingle.

in unflexed condition'they will support a shingle in such original Position with its tie portion spaced from the wall A.

Since the elevation of a shingle in one course 'isgauged by the tie-clips B in relation to-shingles in the previously laid course, it follows that each clip-receiving opening 15 in each shingle will lie beneath theupper edge of the underlying. shingle, thus avoidingany entry ofwater'behindsaid un-' 4 derlying shingle that might find its way through the opening l5 around the keeper-finger 20. In this connection, it will be seen that any water entering said opening 55 will drain away between the rear face of the overlapping shingle and the front face of the overlapped shingle,

To prevent the tie-clips B from corroding and causing the streaking of theshingles with rust stains and, further, to match the color of the tieclips with the color of the shingles, said tie-clips will be coated with suitable material. Such material may be enamel or other frangible material, sincesaid tie-clips B are not required to be driven into place.

From the foregoing, it will be readily seen that my improved method of and means for covering a Wall provides a snug and sightly covering of shingles, which is easily and accurately applied to a wall and which is weather-tight and long lasting without attention.

Changes in the specific form of my invention, as herein described, may be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having described my invention, what I. claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

l. A wall covering comprising shingles adapted to be applied to a wall with the butt portion of one shingle overlapping the tip portion of another, said shingles being formed with upper openings in their tip portions to receive anchoring nails to be driven into the wall, and formed further with lower openings in the butt portions thereof, tie-clips, each including a shank formed with a return v bend at it upper portion providing a downwardly turned hook at the rear of said shank, each tie-clip also including a shoulder-forming reach bent forwardly from the lower end of said shank, and further including a keeper-finger bent downwardly from said reach and adapted to be inserted through a lower opening in a shingle from the rear thereof to catch said shingle at its front side, said hook being adapted to be caught over the upper edge of the tip portion of a pre- Viously anchored shingle, the shoulder-forming reach of each applied clip serving to support its respective shingle at the elevation in which it is to be nailed to the wall.

2. A wall covering comprising shingles adapted to be applied to a wall with the butt portion of one shingle overlapping the tip portion of another, said shingles having holes in their tip portions to receive anchoring nails to be driven into the wall, said shingles being, formed with openings in the butt portions thereof having countersinks at the faces of the shingles, tie-clips, each including a shank formed with a return bend at its upper portion providing a downwardly turned hook at the rear of said shank, each tie-clip also including a keeper-finger offset forwardly from the lower end of said shank and adapted. to'be inserted through a lower opening in a shingle from the rear thereof to occupy a-position within the countersink of said opening and to catch said shingle at the front thereof, said hook being adapted to be caught overthe upper edge of the tip portion of a previously anchored shingle.

3. A wall covering comprising non-flexible, composition shingles adapted to be applied to a wall With-the tip portions ofthe shingles in. one course anchored against the wall and the butt portions of such shingles overlapping the .tipportions of the shingles in the previously laidcourse, said shingles being formed with openings .inthe butt portions thereof, flexible tie-clips, .each'ineluding a shank formed with a return bend at its upper portion providing a downwardly turned hook at the rear of said shank, each tie-clip also including a keeper-finger ofiset forwardly from the lower end of said shank and adapted to be inserted through a lower opening in a shingle from the rear thereof to catch said shingle at its front side, said hook being adapted to be caught over the upper marginal portion of the tip of a previously anchored shingle, each unflexed applied clip tending to hold the tip portion of its respective overlapping shingle spaced from the wall so as to require the flexing of such clip when such overlapping shingle is tilted to bring the tip portion thereof against the wall, thereby providing a tensioned connection between the butt portion of the overlapping shingle and the anchored tip portion of the shingle overlapped thereby.

4. A wall covering comprising shingles adapted go to be anchored to a wall with the butt portion of one shingle overlapping the tip portion of another, said shingles being formed with open- REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,149,818 North Mar. 7, 1939 2,188,090 Young Jan. 23, 1940 2,260,446 Fooks Oct. 28, 1941 2,368,867 Olsen Feb. 6, 1945 

